


we might all be falling apart but it's alright

by aroterano



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Coming Out, Coming of Age, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Internal Conflict, Iroh (Avatar) is a Good Uncle, Mutual Pining, Party, Slice of Life, Tags May Change, Tea Parties, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, because shes the best character obviously, featuring mai as the badass best friend, maybe???? idk where im going with this which isnt a good sign, sokka is also awkward because i said so, suki is amazing as always, these tags are getting weird hhh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-08-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25534075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aroterano/pseuds/aroterano
Summary: Everyone is a mess.Katara's pile of homework is getting higher.Sokka feels useless in front of his friends.Aang is more pressured then someone a thousand feet deep into the ocean.Toph is annoyed at everyone and everything.Zuko doesn't know what he's supposed to be, and what he's supposed to do.Suki has a few too many insecurities.Azula is confident, commanding,perfect—unless it comes to social interaction with people her age.Mai has broken up with her boyfriend—what is this, the third time, now?Ty Lee just wants to hang out with someone.And Uncle Iroh? Well, he's just being Uncle Iroh.They didn't expect to all meet in the same detention hall.The world works in mysterious ways.
Relationships: Aang & Toph Beifong & Katara & Sokka & Suki & Zuko, Aang/Katara (Avatar), Azula & Mai & Ty Lee, Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Iroh & Zuko (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Suki (Avatar)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 153





	1. detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After meeting a boy the day before, Katara finds herself in detention with him—and a few other select people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i have absolutely no idea where im going with this,,, im not even in high school yet  
> ALSO i have no idea how detention works so sorry if it doesnt make sense  
> i'll also probably change the name!! its a work in progress but i needed something 
> 
> sokka, suki, zuko, and mai are in their junior year, so 16 to 17  
> katara, azula, and ty lee are all sophomores, 15 to 16  
> aang skipped two years, he's a sophomore and 13 to 14  
> toph skipped one year, she's also 13 to 14 but she's a freshman
> 
> anyway sukka supremacy

Peace.

Katara sighed happily, finally free of the one thing that has been chaining her down for the past few hours; her math homework.

Now for history.

She groaned, blindly shoving her math homework one way and grabbing for history homework.

"Are you okay?" Sokka asked, tapping his fingers on the counter of the coffee shop. "Maybe you need a break."

"Being barista isn't much better," Katara muttered.

Her brother rolled his eyes. "No, I mean you should do something else for a while. Something fun."

Katara immediately perked up, a wide grin on her face. "Can I go to the lake? Please please please please _please_ —"

Sokka held a hand up to stop her. "Yes, you can go," he sighed. "But come back quickly. I don't know how long I can hold up being the only person here."

Katara rolled her eyes. "Sokka, no one comes here." She hastily placed everything in her binder, and shot out the door quicker than a mouse.

"Have fun!" she heard her brother call as the door shut close. Katara paused, turning around and waving—Sokka could see her through the frosty glass on the door. They both worked at the same coffee shop, the only way they could earn their on money—which they had been a little tight on ever since their dad left to join the war.

Katara walked peacefully down the road, whistling softly. A lake was located nearby, right next to a park. Katara often sat by the bank, skipping rocks or feeding duck or splashing around. It was calming. she liked being alone sometimes.

This time, she wasn't alone.

No one else really came down by the lake, but Katara could see a boy around her age, maybe a year or two younger, dropping bread crumbs into the water and laughing. She debated whether she should approach him or not.

_He doesn't look dangerous_ , she thought. _If anything, he looks the opposite of that._

Katara's pondering didn't last much longer, though, because the boy saw her and waved. A wide grin was on his face. The girl noticed that he was completely bald—definitely a sight to see.

"Hello," Katara waved slightly.

"Hi!" the boy scooched over to where she was standing. "I'm Aang!"

"Katara," the barista offered. "I haven't seen you around before."

"Yeah," Aang scratched the back if his neck. "I was home-schooled. But now, I'm allowed to go to a real school! I'm starting tomorrow."

Katara smiled. "Which grade?"

"Tenth."

The girl blinked. "Oh...I didn't—"

"I look younger? That's because I'm supposed to be going to eighth. But I'm skipping two years."

"Wow," Katara was impressed. "That's so cool! Maybe we have some classes together?"

"You're in tenth grade, too?" Aang beamed. 

Katara nodded. "I didn't skip any years, though."

"That's okay. Not everyone is as smart as me," Aang joked, rolling his hand down to showcase himself and earning a laugh from Katara.

The girl sat down beside him, gazing over the lake. "Watch out for Azula," she muttered.

"Hm?" Aang shifted closer so he was better able to see her.

"Azula—she's in our grade. Around my height, maybe taller—her hair is...you have to look at her. She's menacing and acts like she owns the school. She has these two friends—Mai and Ty Lee—the first one's a junior. They scare me."

"I'll be sure to be on the lookout tomorrow," the boy nodded affirmative. "Well, uh, I have to go. See you tomorrow, Katara!"

Katara smiled back at him. "Later, Aang!"

* * *

"Why are you so happy?" Sokka asked, raising an eyebrow.

"What?" Katara furrowed her eyebrows. "I'm not allowed to be happy?"

Her brother rolled his eyes. "You're cheerier than usual."

A light blush played on Katara's cheeks. "I'm just done with all of homework, that's all," she mumbled, pushing her stuff into her backpack.

"What a relief," Sokka muttered sarcastically. "I'm closing the shop. Come quickly."

The sophomore slung her backpack on to her shoulder, following her brother. The two of them made their way down the winding streets, until they reached a small house with crumbling edges.

"Home sweet home," Sokka breathed. Their house was very different from the café—the same size, sure, but not as modern or sturdy. Katara didn't know how they had managed to even _find_ a house they could afford—she thought she'd have to live in an apartment her entire life.

She wasn't complaining, though. She had a roof to live under, and that was enough.

Katara slipped past her sleeping grandma, after planting a kiss on her cheek. She trudged into her bedroom, finally content—

Oh shit.

Oh _shit_ no.

Her chemistry homework.

_She had forgotten to do her chemistry homework._

Katara's eyes widened frantically. She pounded past her brother's room, only to find him standing in the hallway, blocking the way to her backpack.

"What the hell are you doing?" he asked sleepily. "It's late, Katara."

"M-my chemistry homework," she responded, wild-eyed. "It's due tomorrow and I only finished half of it—"

"You can do it tomorrow morning," Sokka yawned. "Just, uh, set your alarm clock half an hour earlier or something."

Katara bit her lip, nodding slowly. She didn't have a choice. Sokka was right—it _was_ late. Really late. She sighed, turning around. Once she had reached her bed, she clawed at the alarm clock, changing the alarm time dully to five-thirty.

She would wake up half an hour early tomorrow, that was it.

* * *

Katara did _not_ appreciate being woken up to her brother practically yelling in her ear. She shoved him away, pulling her pillow closer to her.

"Katara, it's nearly six-thirty!" he shook her violently. "Wake up, you idiot!"

The girl's eyes flew open. _Six-thirty?_

"That doesn't make sense," she said, rapidly getting up and pushing past her brother. She flicked the bathroom lights on. "I set the alarm to five-thirty!"

"AM or PM?" Sokka asked, crossing his arms.

Katara faltered. "Oh."

"Hurry up!" the boy snapped, shoving a towel in his sister's face.

"My chemistry homework!" Katara remembered suddenly. "When am I supposed to finish it?!"

"I don't know, Katara! Finish it before school starts!"

The sophomore groaned, knowing she—once again—didn't have a choice. "I should've pulled an all-nighter," she mumbled.

"Don't," Sokka responded. He was a junior, and had pulled multiple. "It messes you up _really_ bad. And it's too late to think about the past."

Katara's face softened for a moment, and she wondered if he was talking about his previous girlfriend, Yue. She had...her fate was unfortunate.

Sokka didn't like to think about it.

Katara didn't like to think about it, either.

The girl nodded slowly, the things her brother was saying only half-registering in her mind.

_...I'm going to see Aang today, right?_

* * *

She was _supposed_ to finish her homework before school started.

Things didn't go as planned.

Katara had found herself stuck between finishing her homework against her locker and bolting to her classroom—which happened to be chem. She wearily had decided that she could probably finish the remaining questions in the two minutes she had left.

She was _so_ wrong.

"Katara," Suki, one of her best friends, said through gritted teeth, "hurry up."

"After this problem," the sophomore frowned, struggling to hold her pencil right.

"Katara, listen to me," Suki kneeled down beside her. "Look, it's better to not complete this and be on time than be late _and_ have your work incomplete," she explained, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. Katara listened, her mind still mostly on the paper in front of her. Suki was smart, sure, and gave great advice—especially in stuff like this, since she was in the same grade as Katara's brother—but the Katara was _so close_.

"I'm almost done," Katara shrugged Suki's hand off. "You can go to your class. I know it's kind of far away."

Suki sighed, knowing Katara's mind wouldn't change. "Fine. But...get there on time, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Suki pursed her lips, and then hurried in the other direction. "Bye," she said softly.

Katara waved her hands quickly in return. Her mind zeroed in on question five—

_Question five?! How am I only on question five?_

The girl checked her watch—oh shit, she was already a minute late.

"Are you okay?" a voice asked from behind her. Katara whipped her head around.

It was Zuko.

The sophomore set her jaw. "Yeah, I'm fine," she answered, looking back at the paper. She was not fine. She was not fine at all.

"Uh, you should probably hurry," the scarred boy suggested.

"I'm _trying_ to do that, in case you didn't notice."

"Oh. Right. Sorry about that."

Katara heard him walk away, his feet making a _thud_ sound against the carpet. He was right. She _should_ hurry. She wasn't anywhere near finished with her homework, and was already late.

She should've listened to Suki.

Grumbling to herself, Katara stuffed her homework into her blue backpack and slung it over her shoulder. _Maybe no one will notice that I'm late_ , she thought, walking down the hallway.

It seemed like the spirits were against her that day, though, as her teacher narrowed her eyes immediately when Katara walked in. "Do you have a pass?" she asked begrudgingly.

Katara shook her head.

The teacher sighed. "Sit down."

The barista sulked towards her seat, her heart pounding in her chest. She was in _so_ much trouble.

"Take out your homework, Katara," her teacher said, voice resentful.

"Um," Katara fidgeted, pulling out her crumpled paper from her backpack. "I didn't...I didn't finish it."

The teacher sighed, taking her glasses off and pressing down on the bridge of her nose. "Katara...you were late _and_ you didn't finish your homework?"

"Yes?" Katara winced.

The chemistry teacher shook her head slowly. "Detention."

* * *

Today had been a real shitty day.

As the bell rang overhead, Katara grabbed for her backpack, knowing she wasn't going home right away. As she walked to the detention room halfheartedly, she thought about what had happened.

It wasn't _all_ bad. Aang was in her math class—he sat at the desk across from her. He had been introduced during the first ten minutes, but then they had another boring lesson Katara barely understood. She hadn't gotten a chance to talk with her new friend, either. The rest of the day wasn't eventful, which just led Katara to have a bad feeling settle in her stomach, knowing she could've avoided detention.

Opening the door, the sophomore was surprised who she found sitting at the desks.

"Suki?" Katara blinked. "What are— _how_ did you—you've been to _detention_?"

The junior gave her friend a small smile, and then proceeded to glare at Sokka, who was situated a few desks away from her. " _Someone_ tried to hit on me."

Sokka crossed his arms. "I didn't know you would start _fighting_ me!"

"Wait," Katara interrupted, bewildered. "You—Sokka—hit on _Suki_? My _friend_?"

"I didn't know that you knew her!" Sokka argued. "She's in just in my gym class! I barely know her!"

"And you _hit_ on her," Katara face-palmed.

Her brother pouted. "Well, uh, shut up!"

The barista sighed, taking the seat on the left of Suki. Her eyes wandered to Toph Beifong, a freshman that she knew.

Well, _knew_ was exaggerating it. Katara had bumped into her when she was walking to school. The sophomore was in a bad mood, and had told her to watch where she was going.

"I'm blind," Toph had responded. She had huffed, flipping Katara off, and had walked away.

Katara had stood there in silence. She had figured out her name a few days later.

"Hey, Toph," Katara greeted nervously.

"Oh," Toph turned her head around slowly, so the barista could see her icy, blank eyes. "It's _you_ again."

"You—you recognize me?"

"Anyone can recognize someone with a voice _that_ annoying," she shrugged, placing her feet on the desk in front of her and leaning back.

"Hey! I'm not annoying!" Katara turned towards Suki, hoping for some back-up, but the junior was arguing with Sokka.

Sokka threw his hands up in the air. "You're just a _girl_!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Suki retorted, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Arm wrestle me, right now! I'm going to win!"

"Yeah right!" the girl laughed, getting up to sit across Sokka.

"Guys, break it up," Katara said. Where was the teacher?

The door flew open, revealing Aang. "Hey, Katara," he greeted softly.

The barista smiled, patting the seat to the left of her. "How did you end up here?"

Aang gave her a lopsided smile. "I might've argued with the teacher."

Just as the door to the room was about to close shut, four more individuals entered the room. Zuko, Mai, Ty Lee, and... _Azula_.

"Mai!" Zuko called. "I said I'm sorry!"

" _Sorry_ isn't enough!" Mai snapped back. The stoic girl took a seat in the back of the classroom.

Azula rolled her eyes at that, taking the seat in front of Mai. Ty Lee followed her, grinning, and took the seat beside hers.

"What are those two doing?" Aang asked, pointing at Sokka and Suki.

Katara smiled, forgetting about who had entered for a moment. "That's my brother, Sokka—and that's my friend, Suki. Let's just say that...Sokka said some things."

"Are they," Aang waved his hands around, "you know, together?"

Katara's widened. She stifled a laugh. "No! How'd you get that?"

The boy shrugged. "I dunno. It kind of looked like they liked each other."

"Suki," Sokka grunted, face red with exertion. "Can you—I'm going easy on you, okay?"

"Sure you are," Suki deadpanned, her fist set.

"Maybe...I'm going to go harder on you!"

"Go ahead, Sokka."

Sokka pushed harder, his elbow slipping beneath him.

Suki shifted, biting her lip.

"Those two seem _really_ into it," Toph laughed from where she was sitting.

"How could you tell?" Katara asked, slightly impressed.

Toph sighed. "I have my ways."

Sokka started shakily, "Please—"

Suki interrupted him, reaching over and planting a kiss on his cheek.

A bright blush spread on Sokka's already red face. His hand dropped immediately.

"There," Suki said, a smirk tugging on her lips. "I win."

"H-hey!" Sokka stammered. "N-no fair!"

Toph laughed indecorously. "Oh my—did what I _think_ just happened happen?"

Katara gaped at her friend as she walked back over to her original seat. "Did you just—"

"I had to win somehow," Suki mumbled, a light blush on her cheeks. "Where's the teacher?"

Aang shrugged. "We don't know. We can just leave, I guess."

"Azula!" Ty Lee called as her friend got up. "Where are you going?"

"Those imbeciles are right," Azula answered, yanking the door open. "No one's here. If we want, we can leave this stuffy room."

Ty Lee blinked. "Oh. I guess you're right."

Katara watched the interaction closely. "I...should we follow them?" she whispered to Suki.

The junior shrugged. "I guess. I don't think I can handle your brother any longer."

"But you just—"

"We're not talking about that. Ever again." With that, Suki stood up and grabbed her things. She swiftly made her way out.

"Should I call Uncle Iroh?" Zuko asked Mai. "He can pick us up."

Mai frowned. "I can get home myself."

"I know, but the buses left, and it's kind of a long way—"

"I _said_ , I can get home myself."

Zuko sighed. "Okay." He turned to where Katara and Aang were sitting. "Do you guys want a ride?"

"Yes please!" Toph slid her feet down.

Aang got up as well, but before he could say anything, Katara grabbed his sleeve. "No thanks," she said darkly.

"Whatever," Zuko grumbled. "Uncle's outside," he explained, walking over to the window and looking down. "He's over there. Come on." He walked through the door, followed by Toph.

Katara pursed her lips, walking to where Zuko had stood and leaning down to look through the window. And old, hearty man was standing outside. He didn't look dangerous.

_Zuko_ , on the other hand...

"Let's go," Katara tugged on Sokka's arm. He was staring blankly at the desk.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Sure." He gathered his belongings quickly, distracted.

"See you, Aang," Katara waved, smiling.

"Bye!" Aang grinned.


	2. pai sho

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sokka finds himself playing Pai Sho at Uncle Iroh's tea shop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i had to ask if zuko would roll his eyes or just one eye for this chapter  
> if you feel like everything is rushed...thats because it probably is
> 
> tw for implied death

Sundays sucked.

Sokka slumped against his bed frame, scrolling through his phone, bored out of his mind. Sundays meant he had nothing to do. Sundays meant no work to keep him occupied. Sundays meant he couldn't even sleep late.

It didn't help that Katara was out.

She had gone to the lake, saying that she would meet her new friend, Aang there. Sokka had teased her, making her face flush, but she just waved it off and said, "We're just friends, Sokka."

"Yeah, right," Sokka smirked. " _Friends_."

"Not like you would know," Katara huffed. "You don't exactly have any."

"That's not true!"

"How many do you hang out with?"

"I—no fair! We have work most days, and you _boyfriend_ comes by the lake—which, in case you didn't know, _is really close to the coffee shop_!"

"He's not my boyfriend," Katara answered, blushing harder.

Sokka snickered. "Sure."

His sister had slammed the door in his face.

Now, Sokka was laying down on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was milky white and dirty, cracked and chipped at the corners. His mind drifted to Yue, his... _ex_.

She didn't choose to be his ex, though.

Sokka had only know Yue for a few days—she was in town because of her father, who was on a business trip. The junior recalled that she was only going to stay for a week or two, and he had decided to make the most of it.

A day before her departure, something happened.

A car hit her.

She was dead.

A car hit her because she pushed Sokka out of the way. A car hit her because Sokka wasn't paying attention. A car hit her because she was trying to protect him when it should've been the other way around.

Sokka had tried to get with other girls—even boys. But every time he got close to them, he remembered Yue. He felt like he had a curse—that he would never be able to protect them, that something would happen to them because of _him_. Every full moon, Sokka would feel different. He would sneak outside and stare at the moon.

Yue loved the moon.

"Get up, Sokka," the boy muttered to himself. "Stop being so gloomy. She's gone. She was going to leave, anyway. There was nothing you could've done if she left." He slipped out of his bed, shoving a pair of socks on. Absentmindedly, he left his room, pulled his shoes and a jacket on, and left the house. He found himself walking down the street, not knowing where he was going.

The mid-October air was getting chillier, and the fact that it was around six didn't help. He hoped Katara wasn't feeling cold—she was better accustomed at taking care of people. Sokka wasn't exactly the best at that, so if she got sick, he'd probably mess up somehow.

As he walked, he thought about what had happened during detention on Friday. He had felt strangely _at home_ with everyone. It had felt like Sokka had known them his entire life.

Weird.

And the arm wrestle—Sokka couldn't stop thinking about it. He couldn't stop thinking about how his heart fluttered when Suki had reached over.

 _She's just another girl_ , he stopped, trying to get rid of the thoughts.

_She's nothing special._

_..._

_I flirt with everyone! She's nothing new._

Confident with his stance on his sister's friend, he continued. It was getting colder, and Sokka half-regretted going out.

A small building that read _The Jasmine Dragon_ was located across the street. Sokka paused, glancing inside. It looked warm and welcoming, unlike the cold and sharp air surrounding him.

Sighing, Sokka head inside.

Almost immediately, he bumped into the last person he wanted to see—Suki herself.

"Oh, hey, Sokka," she mumbled, her blush almost vibrant as his. "Good to see you again."

"Y-yeah," the boy nodded, trying to stop the butterflies in his stomach. "Uh—are you also...?" Sokka waved his hands around.

"Um, no," Suki blinked, getting the message. "I'm leaving."

"Oh." Sokka felt a tinge of disappointment run through him.

"Well. Uh. I'll get going, then."

"Yeah. See you later."

She pursed her lips, as if she wanted to say something else, but settled for a simple, "Bye."

Sokka swallowed, moving on.

"Hello, there!" a loud voice greeted. Sokka's head snapped up to see an old man with a wide smile on his face. His eyes were crinkled, and his sideburns connected to make a beard that settled around his neck.

"Hi!" Sokka smiled, taking a quick look around the place. A few people were settled on tables, but it was mostly empty, since it was getting kind of late. "So, uh, what is this place? Can I just hang out for a while? I saw it from outside, and it's kinda cold out—"

"Oh, yes, yes," the man flapped his hand up and down. "You can call me Uncle Iroh. This is a tea shop!"

Sokka blinked. "Oh. I'm Sokka. And uh, I don't have any money."

Uncle Iroh laughed. "It's okay! It's on the house. We have the best tea you can ever imagine!" he shuffled to the counter. "Ooh, do you want to play Pai Sho?"

"What's that?"

"Only the best game in existence! Come, I'll show you."

Sokka followed the man through the back room. He seemed trustworthy and kind. Definitely not the kind of person to pull a gun.

The room was large, and held a single table in the middle, accompanied by two chairs. Boxes filled the shelves, but other than that, the room was empty.

"Where's my nephew—Zuko?!" Uncle Iroh called.

" _Zuko_?!" Sokka's eyes widened, his jaw unhinging. "Your nephew is _Zuko_?!"

Iroh nodded. "Why, do you know him? He does look around you age."

"Zuko— _Zuko_ is your nephew?!"

Iroh smiled, a little confused. "Are you okay, boy? I said yes."

"S-sorry. It's just—you two are _really_ different."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "You barely know me! And I'm assuming you barely know my nephew, as well."

Sokka blinked. "I guess...I guess you're right."

"Zuko can seem a little..." Iroh paused for a second, trying to collect the correct words, " _difficult_ at times. Closed-off, gloomy, even mean-spirited. But I assure you, he's not. Now—Zuko?! Get over here!"

Sokka heard a clattering from the counter. "Coming, Uncle!" The scarred boy opened the back room door, revealing himself. "Sokka?!"

"Teach this boy how to play Pai Sho," Iroh said, gesturing at the game board.

"But Uncle—"

" _Zuko_ , he has come to our tea shop, so we must respect him. Teach him Pai Sho."

"No, it's fine," Sokka laughed nervously. "I should be going now, anyway—"

"But you haven't had tea yet!" Iroh exclaimed. "You can play why you wait."

Zuko sighed. "Yes, Uncle. Come on, Sokka."

Sokka raised an eyebrow. This side of Zuko he had never seen before. Softer, and more diligent.

The barista moved towards the table, and looked down at the circular board. It was divided—a diamond in the middle, triangles at the corners of the diamond, and space in between. On top of that was a checkered set of squares.

"So, how do you play?" Sokka asked, peering at the board.

As Zuko explained, Sokka listened intently. He might've been a little distracted by the fact that _Zuko_ was teaching him Pai Sho, or his entire interaction with Suki, but mostly he was paying attention.

"That's the game," Zuko sighed. "Let's play. Uncle always says this game brings people out of their shells."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I don't really know what he's talking about half the time."

Sokka thought for a second. "Maybe...our inner thoughts?"

Zuko shrugged. "Sure. What are you thinking about?"

The barista blinked. "We haven't started playing yet," he answered, his voice tight. What _was_ he thinking about?

"Uh, okay," Zuko blinked, moving the first tile on the board. "Your turn."

Sokka flicked at a tile, sending it across the board.

The scarred boy rolled his eyes. "Just pick them up and move them across. It's not that hard."

Sokka crossed his arms. "Fine. I didn't know you were so picky."

"I'm not picky!" Zuko retorted angrily, getting up and throwing his hands out. "I just—Uncle would get mad or something!"

"Why would _I_ get mad?" Uncle Iroh, who had just come through the door with a tray in his hands, asked. "Did something happen?"

"No, Uncle," his nephew huffed, sitting back down.

"Thanks for the tea," Sokka grinned, wrapping his fingers around the handle of one of the cups.

"Anytime! You and Zuko are friends, right?"

Sokka paused. "Uh, well..."

"Yes," Zuko interrupted. "We're friends."

Iroh raised an eyebrow. "Well, I best be going. You understand Pai Sho, right, Sokka?"

"Yeah," the barista nodded, eyeing Zuko.

Iroh smiled. "Good. If you need any help, Zuko's there."

After the old man left, Sokka whispered, "What was that all about?!"

Zuko sighed. "Do you want to stay or not?"

Sokka pursed his lips, thinking for a moment. He _did_ want to stay. Uncle Iroh was...comforting. Even Zuko...the scarred boy wasn't the person Sokka had thought he was.

"Yeah," Sokka nodded, "I do. It's your turn."

Something that looked like a half-smile found its way on to Zuko's face.

As they continued to play, Sokka kept finding Zuko looking at him. After the fifth time, Sokka raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why are you...?"

Zuko's eyes widened. "Uh—you just—er, do you need to get something out?"

" _Excuse_ me?"

"I mean—um, do you need to say something? You look like you're...holding something in."

Sokka covered his mouth with his hand, trying not to laugh. "I— _holding something in_ —"

Zuko frowned. "You know what I mean!"

Sokka stopped laughing, putting his hand back down. He took a deep breath. "I dunno. Maybe I do and don't know about it."

"What?"

"Maybe I _do_ need to say something, but don't _know_ that I need to say it."

"How does that work?!"

Sokka rolled his eyes. "You know what? Never mind."

"Wait," Zuko put his hand on the table. "What's been bothering you?"

"Isn't this weird? My sister kind of hates you family, and we're just having a nice talk behind her back—"

"Sokka, what's been bothering you?" Zuko snapped.

The barista stared at the table. "I'm not sure. Sometimes I feel like...I feel like I'm useless. That I can't protect anyone."

Zuko raised his eyebrow. "Why's that?"

Sokka sighed. "My first girlfriend...she got hit by a car."

Zuko leaned back. "That's rough, buddy."

"Yeah, well, it was kind of my fault," Sokka deadpanned, crossing his arms. "She was pushing me out of the way."

Zuko winced. "Well, uh, that's...tragic."

"You're a great person to talk to, you know that?" Sokka said, sarcasm dripping from him voice.

"Look, I'm trying, okay?!" Zuko huffed. "Anything else?"

"As I said, I feel... _useless_. Everyone has something they're good at—and me? Nothing."

"You're smart. Aren't you like, a plan-making genius?"

"No one cares about that! When there's a large group of people, I can barely stutter out the plan because I panic!"

"That's public speaking. No one's really good at that."

"My dad's good at it," Sokka muttered, leaning back. "Why am I having a therapy session with you again?"

"It's the Pai Sho," Zuko explained simply.

Sokka smiled. "Do you _also_ need to 'get something out'?"

Zuko rolled his eyes. "Shut up. I'm fine."

Sokka pulled his phone out, looking at the time. "Hey, I should probably go. Tell your Uncle I said thanks," he said, getting up. "Bye, Zuko."

The scarred boy nodded. "Bye."


	3. momo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aang visits the hospital, and gets some bad news.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw for implied death
> 
> also im on tyzula brainrot,, i cant write about them until at least the next chapter though :(  
> sorry that this chapter is so short!! there wasnt much to write about tbh

Aang huffed, wrapping his arms around himself tightly to keep himself warm. His day with Katara was over—it had been filled with fun, from going to the library, to sneaking to the lake, to eating out—but now, Aang had to go home.

The sophomore was supposed to live with his adopted dad, Gyatso, but Gyatso was in the hospital.

Aang shuddered slightly as he remembered the events: he had run away from home, since everyone except Gyatso had been against his beliefs. The older man had found him, and had told him that they could live together.

"Would you like that?" Gyatso had smiled, wiping the tears from the boy's eyes.

Aang had blinked, surprised. "Of course!"

They had wound up together, and were supposed to move...the day they settled in, Gyatso had been in an accident.

That was the day Aang had met Katara.

Aang moved forward, knowing he would get to meet Gyatso today. The guardian didn't have long, and Aang cherished every moment he got with him.

* * *

"I'm sorry."

Aang's eyes widened. He took a step back. "Wh—what do you mean, 'I'm sorry'?!"

The nurse winced slightly. "Gyatso...has passed away," she explained.

"No," Aang said shakily. "There's no way—he was just there! I saw him three days ago!"

"I'm sorry, Aang," the nurse tried putting her hand on the boy's shoulder in a comforting manner, but he jerked away.

"He can't be dead!" Aang yelled, sobs racking his body. "There's no way! He—what am I supposed to do now?!"

The nurse bit her lip. "If you want to stay here—"

"He was—he's dead because of some _stupid_ accident! _Who were the people who hit him_ —"

"I know grief is hard," the nurse sympathized.

"You don't know anything!" Aang cried, taking a step back. " _You_ didn't have the last person who you considered as family _taken away from you_!"

"Aang," the nurse took a sharp breath. "Listen. Do you know anyone that might...adopt you?"

"Gyatso," Aang muttered, "but he's dead."

"I'm being serious. Do you want to stay here?"

The boy paused for a moment. _Did_ he want to stay here? In the place the tragedy had happened? He remembered Katara, and her soft smile, and the way she made him felt happy.

He hadn't experienced that in his old home.

"Yes," Aang nodded firmly.

"Do you know a family that can take care of you?"

Aang thought for another moment. Would _Katara's_ family take care of him? He didn't exactly know their financial position...

"Maybe," Aang shrugged. "Not sure." His voice sounded dead, the life taken out of him when he learned about Gyatso's death.

"Okay," the nurse pursed her lips. "For now, you can—"

"By myself," the boy interrupted. "I've been living alone these past few days, anyway."

A confused look took on the nurse's face? "Alone? That's...okay, well, sure."

A surge of anger shook through Aang. "That's it?! A 'okay, well, sure'?!"

The nurse sighed. "Wait a second." She turned around, sweeping down the hallway.

Aang stood there, about to burst. He was so _angry_.

The nurse came back with a tall, dark-skinned man with a white beard. The sophomore could see his ribs through his shirt. "He'll drop you home," she explained. "Well, to his house."

Aang pursed his lips. "Fine." He didn't want to spend the night alone in an empty house, anyway.

Knowing Gyatso was dead.

* * *

"So," the man scratched his neck. "What's your name?"

"Aang," the boy replied automatically. He didn't bother for the man's name. It didn't matter.

The man nodded, from what Aang could see from the corner of his eye.

"I live here," he stopped, pointing to the house on the right of them. "She told me you knew someone. Do you want to call them?"

Aang nodded slowly. "Hey, uh, I have a dog."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Can you—can you pick him up? His name is Appa. He's...I've had him since I was a kid. He's important."

"Of course. You can settle in," he nodded, opening the door. "I'll be back."

"Yeah," Aang walked in, taking his shoes off carefully, on the verge of tears again. The man shut the door behind him.

 _Now what?_ Aang thought to himself, biting his lower lip. He heard a scuttle in the distance. _Should I ask Katara? I don't know her_ that _well...and I don't know her living situation, either..._

The scuttle turned into a crash. Aang stood up immediately, eyes widened. "Who's there?" he asked, looking around. He followed the sound to the kitchen. There, a small animal was on top of the sink.

"Are you—what are you?" Aang squinted. "Wh—wait, are you a _cat_?!"

The animal blinked.

Aang gasped. "Wow! I—this is so cool!" he cried, momentarily forgetting about Gyatso. "Can I keep you? I'm going to call you Momo! I'll have to ask—" Aang faltered, "—the man...not Gyatso." He looked down, a sigh escaping from his lips. "I should probably call Katara," he told Momo. "She's my friend."

Momo tilted his head in response.

Aang fished his phone out, scrolling to the newest number: Katara's. He smiled a little, remembering his day.

_"Why are we getting ice cream? It's kind of cold out," Katara said, worried._

_"It's fine, Kat," Aang waved his hand dismissively. "We won't get sick, I promise."_

_"Fine," Katara rolled her eyes. "Can we at least eat it by the lake?"_

_"Sure!"_

The smile only grew wider. They had settled down by the lake, skipping stones and laughing, ice cream dribbling down their cold chins. Then they had exchanged numbers.

_"Promise to call?"_

_"Of course!"_

Aang needed to call her, for sure. Right _now_.

The phone stopped ringing. Aang heard a small voice say, "Hello?"

"Katara?" the boy jumped up. "It's me, Aang. Something...something happened."

"What?! Are you okay?"

"I'm...fine for now. I was...okay, this is going to sound crazy, but the person who adopted me died."

Silence.

"Where are you now?" Katara asked.

"I'm at this guy's house. He's safe. I think he works at the hospital or something, I dunno."

"As long as you're safe."

"Hey...I can't exactly live with this guy forever. Are you...can you handle another person living with you?"

Katara hesitated for a moment. Aang could tell she was thinking hard. "Uh...I'm not sure, Aang. But we can try. Do you want Sokka to come pick you up?"

"Who's that again?"

"My brother."

"Yeah. In a minute, though, the man went to pick my dog up. Also, I might be adopting a cat named Momo."

Katara sighed. "You'll have to take care of them yourself."

"I will!" Aang grinned. He heard the door open in the distance. "Okay, Sokka can pick me up now!" he quickly stated the address.

"Was that your friend?" the tall man asked, walking into the kitchen. He glanced at the cat. "Oh, I see you've met him."

"You know him?" Aang's eyes widened. "Can I keep him? I gave him a name and everything!"

The man chuckled. "Sure. I heard some of your conversation. Your friend's picking you up right now?"

"Yeah. Where's Appa?"

A dog barked in response, coming out from behind the man's knees. He ran up to Aang, licking him.

"Appa!" Aang grinned. "This is out new friend, Momo."

The man smiled softly.

* * *

"Your car smells nice," Aang said from the backseat of Sokka's car.

"Uh, okay," Sokka raised an eyebrow. After a few moments, he said, "Hey, don't judge our house or anything, 'kay?"

"I would never," the sophomore responded, running his fingers through Appa's fur. Momo was in his lap.

"Cool," Sokka sighed. "We're here."

Aang looked out the window. It was too dark to see the house clearly, but he could make out dusty walls and a broken door. The porch was slightly damaged, but overall, the house was intact, had a roof, and that was good enough.

"Me, Katara, and my grandma live here," Sokka explained. "Dad's off to war. But, yeah. That's all you need to know. Come on, I'll show you to our room—we're sharing, by the way."

"Is Katara awake?" Aang asked hopefully.

"Nah, she's asleep. You can see your girlfriend tomorrow."

A blush spread on Aang's cheeks. "She's not—"

"I'm just joking," Sokka smirked. "Although, from your _reaction_ , hmm...anyway, keep your dog and cat quiet. Gran Gran's sleeping."

Aang huffed as they entered the house. Sokka head to a hallway, and opened the door to a room on the side. Appa and Momo followed them, thankfully quiet. There was a small bed, a few posters, a shelf, a window, and a sleeping bag on the floor. "Do I get the sleeping bag?" Aang asked.

"No," Sokka sighed. "Go on the bed."

Aang smiled, jumping on. Appa woofed quietly, and then followed suit. Momo found himself a corner and settled in.

Sokka rolled his eyes, and then tucked himself in quickly. "Good night," he sighed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im not really sure how adoption works, so if it doesnt make sense, just pretend thats how it works in this world or something idk. i remember reading about it in a book that i forgot the name of but that was a few months ago so i dont really remember
> 
> edit 7/30: changed momo back to a cat!!


	4. sick to the stomach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Toph stumbles upon the Jasmine Dragon, drinks some tea, and overhears a conversation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if toph is a little ooc!! i wanted to exploit her insecurities more  
> also unrelated but i changed momo to a cat bc thats a lot more reasonable than an actual monkey hdksjfhk
> 
> tyzula hours

A fuzzy feeling enclosed Toph's mind. Her stomach had a weird feeling in it—a _sick_ feeling in it.

Toph wouldn't have really minded. She'd dealt with worse before. But now, she was outside, and her stomachache was making it hard for her to hear anything besides her internal cries. Constantly, she bumped into unrecognizable people.

"Watch it!" a boy yelled. Toph didn't have the energy to answer. Sarcastic bite-backs filled her head, but she wasn't able to process any of them.

The freshman could barely feel the ground—there were too many people, not enough time to think. Too many sounds filled Toph's head—the sound of birds chirping aggressively, the sound of people talking, the sound of kids laughing and pushing each other around, the sound of footsteps against the ground, the sound of a dog barking—

She found herself being pushed to a wall. No one was doing it, but she had sifted through the crowd awkwardly, so she had the wall being pressed against her side. Toph grumbled against her breath, trying to find a door on whatever building was next to her. She finally felt smooth wood against her, and pushed the door open carefully.

A quiet chatter filled the room. It smelled good—like exquisite yet homemade tea.

"Welcome to the Jasmine Dragon," a voice said. Toph jumped, turning towards the source of the sound.

"I'm blind. Do I know you?" Toph asked, snark in her voice.

"Oh," the voice paused for a second. Whoever was speaking sounded male. "I don't think you remember me, but I dropped you home. Well, my uncle did."

"Zuko?" Toph blinked. She should've been able to recognize his voice, but the atmosphere in—the Jasmine Dragon, was it?—was too loud. "Sorry, I...can I just stay here for a while? My stomach kinda hurts."

"Uncle can help," Zuko suggested, a little pride in his voice. "I'll call him over."

"I don't have any money," Toph stated blankly, raising an eyebrow. She doubted they saw it, though, since her bangs were swept over her eyes.

"On the house," Zuko muttered. " _Again_."

Toph pursed her lips. "Okay. I can't say no to free tea. But you don't have to take care of me or anything."

"I'm sure I don't," a deeper voice said, full of joy.

"Iroh?"

"Yes! Here's your tea. I might've overheard your conversation."

Toph took the cup hesitantly, hearing Zuko walk away. She hated this—being taken care of, like she didn't know how to do anything. "You didn't have to do that. I could've poured he cup myself. Just because I'm blind—"

"I poured your tea because I wanted to," Iroh explained, interrupting her, "and for no other reason." He pulled a chair out. "You can sit here, if you'd like."

Toph sighed. "Okay," she mumbled, gingerly sitting down on the chair. "Fine. Thanks."

"Of course! Any time."

Toph sipped at her tea slowly, her head clearing. Her mind drifted off to the distance, and she found herself eavesdropping what another group was talking about in the distance.

"Honestly, Mai," a snide voice said, laughing slightly, "I don't know what you _see_ in my brother."

Someone else huffed in response. Toph assumed it was Mai.

"But they're so _cute_ together, Azula!" a squeakier voice proclaimed.

"Still," the first voice (Azula?) answered. "What would you get from that? Zuzu doesn't even live with us."

_Zuzu?_

Toph pressed her hand against her mouth, trying to hold in her laugh. These were the girls in the detention hall, weren't they? Azula must've been Zuko's sister.

"Can we talk about _anything_ else?" a drab voice asked, agitated. Mai. "Or—can we just get out of here? It's so _boring_."

"You think everything is boring," Azula drawled.

"That's because it _is_. I'm leaving."

Mai stood up, and pushed her chair in loudly. Toph could feel her heading towards the door and shutting it close.

"Aw, she didn't get a chance to talk to Zuko," the third girl said somberly. Toph pressed her feet against the ground more, hoping to feel the vibrations better. It was a trick she had picked up over the years—bigger movements could be felt, but smaller ones were often washed away.

"It's fine, Ty Lee," Azula snapped. She sighed. "Now what?"

Ty Lee tapped her fingers on the top of the table, loud enough that the blind girl could hear. "Hmmm, I dunno. Maybe we could get more tea?"

"If there's _one_ thing my uncle can do, it's make tea. Not much else, though..."

Toph growled to no one in particular at the offhand, insulting comment. She didn't know Iroh that well, but he was a kind man.

Ty Lee giggled. There was a pause, before she noted, "You know, Azula, I think your hair—"

"What's wrong with my hair?!"

"It's just a little...off. Here, let me fix it."

Azula squeaked; it was a little weird hearing her squeak, since Toph had taken her for a commanding, put-together girl.

"I'll just..." the cheerier girl murmured.

"Ty Lee, I, er—"

"Wait, 'Zula, just a minute—"

"T-Ty Lee—"

"There!" Toph didn't need to see to know Ty Lee was smiling and that Azula had a blush on her face. "All better now. Perfect, just like you."

"I—well, yes, of course I am." The short girl seated nearby felt Azula straighten. "We should go, then."

"Okay!" Ty Lee chirped. Toph felt Ty Lee move closer to her friend and assumed that she grabbed Azula's hand. The snide one was dragged to the door, and Toph could _feel_ her heartbeat quickening and hammering against her rib cage.

Toph smirked. She didn't know these people, but what had just happened caused her to have the urge to laugh. The blind girl sat down again, resting her head lazily against the top of the chair and sipping slowly. Her head and stomach felt a lot better now. Whatever was in the tea had worked. She got up, pushing the table in roughly, and stumbled towards the door.

"Hey."

Toph turned around swiftly, towards the source of the sound.

"It's me, Zuko," the voice explained. "Do you need a ride home again? It's kind of far away. How'd you even get here?"

Toph sighed. "Nah," she answered. "My parents put me in this stupid class. It's really beginner, though, since I'm blind and all," she pointed at her eyes. "I know all of it already. I'm just skipping it."

"...wouldn't the teacher tell them?"

The freshmen shrugged. "He'd get in trouble. My parents are kind of rich."

"Oh. Right." Zuko paused. "Well, what are you going to do, now? Just wait outside the guy's building? They might connect the dots or something."

Toph's feet fidgeted. "I didn't think that far. I guess...I'll wait outside."

"Oh. Okay," Zuko responded, turning around.

"Wait," Toph moved towards him, grabbing his shoulder. "Can you drop me off? It's cold and there's a lot of people."

"Sure," the boy answered. "Let me just tell Uncle."

* * *

The drive there was not as eventful as the last one.

When Iroh had been there, jokes had been passed—a tea joke with the word "leaf" in it, Toph remembered—but now? Zuko wasn't speaking. The radio played quietly, buzzing slightly. The seats were comfy, but not as comfy as the ones in Toph's car—they felt old and worn. Zuko was tapping his fingers against the steering wheel, impatient and waiting for the light to turn green. He sighed softly, and then moved the car again. Toph slumped against her seat, bracing for the movement, the rush of the car. Being in a car was making her a little sick again—it wasn't that bad, though, since she was used to it.

"So," Toph started, hoping to make conversation. Restlessly, she shifted, waiting for Zuko's response.

"Do you need something?"

"No," Toph sighed. "Never mind."

"We're here," Zuko slowed the car down. "You okay?"

"Not really," Toph muttered, hoping the boy wouldn't hear.

He did.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Zuko asked, clearly struggling with socially interacting with someone this deeply. "Uh, is it about your parents?"

"Maybe," Toph answered. "I don't...it's them, yeah. But it's other people too. They—no one thinks I can do anything because I'm bling. It's so _annoying_ , because I _can_."

"Hey, at least you don't have a low self-esteem level," Zuko laughed nervously.

Toph froze. That wasn't... _completely_ true. Sure, she knew she was an average student with an excellent grade in geography, but there was _other_ stuff about herself she didn't like. Her mind was filled with memories of other girls laughing at her.

"Uh, yeah. Great self-esteem," she stammered. " _Anyway_ , they're _really_ annoying. I wish they would just _listen_ to me for once, you know?" the freshman rolled her eyes.

"Hey, I have parent problems too," Zuko replied. "At least, with my dad. My mom...died."

Toph blinked.

"We were really close," Zuko continued, "but my dad? He...I don't know. I wish he would just _accept_ me. He likes my sister way better, since she's amazing at everything."

"I'm sure he loves you in his...own weird way."

"I don't really think so. He hates me."

"Oh."

Zuko exhaled. "Anyway. Uh, it's seven-thirteen. When do you parents...?"

"Shit, only two minutes 'till they come," Toph hastily unbuckled and slammed against the door. She pulled on the door handle harshly. "Bye, Sparky!"

"Sp-Sparky?!"

A smirk tugged on Toph's lips as she closed the door.

* * *

"So, Toph, what did you learn today?"

"A little about the rivers. Not much, just that there's water...and, uh, a little about the wildlife."

"Why, that's great! Your progress is fantastic, my daughter."

 _If only you knew_ , Toph thought to herself, sighing quietly.


	5. falling out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zuko bumps into his Pai Sho buddy.

"I still don't see what you find so amazing about this place, Zuzu," Azula said, flicking her finger against the counter.

"If you don't like it," Zuko retorted, "why are you always here?"

Azula shrugged. "I guess looking at you mess up is...enjoyable."

"I don't mess up!" Zuko proclaimed, anger flaring in him. He shoved a cup towards his sister. "Just because you're _perfect—_ "

"I was just kidding," Azula rolled her eyes, taking the cup. She brought it to her lips. "Although, living with father is much more...dignified."

Zuko muttered insults incoherently under his breath, turning away to sweep the floor. His grip on the broom loosened a little as he reached for the more precise spots.

"Where is Uncle Iroh, anyway?" Azula asked, resting her elbow on the counter and picking at her fingernails.

"Out," the scarred boy answered. "Gone for some ingredients. He probably doesn't want to see you, anyway. You and your friends."

"Mai?" a smirk played on Azula's lips.

Zuko grit his teeth, tightening his hold on the handle. "She—besides her. You and Ty Lee."

"I thought you two broke up. _Again._ "

"We did."

"...and you still like to see her?"

Zuko turned around harshly. "That doesn't mean anything!"

"Sure," Azula stood up, setting her empty cup down a little too fast. "Anyway, I should probably leave now. Ty Lee needed help with something."

"Look, we both know that's not why you're going to Ty Lee's place."

Azula froze. "I—what are you implying?"

It was Zuko's turn to smirk. A blush rested on his sister's face—a rare sight. She _usually_ only blushed when Ty Lee was mentioned. "Nothing. As you said, you should probably get going." He closed the door that lead behind the counter and head to the back room.

"Zuko, get back here! What did you m—"

He shut the door.

Shelves upon shelves of tea boxes and Pai Sho tiles were in his sight. All of them dusty, sure, but lining every spot on the edge of the large room. In the middle, of course, was the table with the Pai Sho board on it. Uncle had always wanted more—but for now, there was only one. Sometimes, the old man had a friend over who he would play with. Other times, he somehow got _Zuko_ to play—even though the junior detested the game, it hurt to say no to his caring Uncle.

And other times, Uncle Iroh would set Zuko up to play Pai Sho with the brother of the girl who hated his entire family who had decided to randomly walk in.

Zuko grunted, staring at the boxes. With the amount of people his uncle was giving free tea to, they were going to run out of money soon. Uncle Iroh was a kind man—sometimes _too_ kind. The junior sighed, turning around to go back into the main room.

By the time he reached the counter, Azula was gone—Zuko assumed she had left, fuming. He snickered softly to himself, before stopping abruptly. When was the last time he had _laughed_?

The scarred boy sighed again, taking his apron off and hanging it on the hook nearby. He decided to take a walk; it wasn't like he had much else to do, anyway. Zuko left quietly, leaving his Uncle a note for when he got back. As he passed by the door, he flipped the "Open" sign to "Closed" because of his absence.

Zuko didn't really know where he was going. He just wanted to wander—wanted some time to _think._

He'd been doing that a lot lately.

Zuko turned down the winding streets, thinking about his sister. About his uncle. About his father—his mother. He thought about Mai, and he thought about them all too much.

 _Who am I?_ he mused, genuinely confused.

Zuko's family had a rocky history, His mother had disappeared when she was younger—she was probably dead. Even before that, she and Zuko's father had fought. The scarred boy remembered Azula's sneering, that their mother had left to protect Zuko.

They had been close.

Azula had never been close with their mother. Azula was perfect.

Zuko was not.

After their mother had left, Zuko, Azula, and their father had co-existed in the same place, living together, until Uncle Iroh had taken custody of his nephew. Zuko just wanted _acceptance_ from him father. He knew why his uncle had to take custody. It was because Zuko had spoken up when he wasn't supposed to. Furthermore, he had _gone against his father's decision_.

They had a fight. Zuko got his scar. The authority took over.

Zuko wasn't allowed to go to his father's house anymore.

The junior sighed. A few minutes passed peacefully, until someone crashed into him.

Hard.

"Hey!" Zuko flailed for a few heightened seconds, before turning around with a glare. "What the hell?!"

"Zuko!" the person grinned.

_Sokka._

"Wh—why are you here?" Zuko stepped back.

"Look, bud," Sokka glanced back, "I need your help. My sister invited her friend over—you know that bald dude named Aang? Anyway, I'm kind of scared they'll start making out or something, and I'm pretty sure Katara's going to drag me into her antics, so I just need to stay busy. Help?"

Zuko raised an eyebrow. "I don't think your sister likes me."

Sokka waved his hand dismissively. "Just act like we've been friends forever. It'll help if I have your number. Honestly, I wouldn't even have asked you," Sokka explained, pulling out his phone, "if Suki wasn't busy."

Zuko stifled a laugh. " _Suki_?"

The brown-haired boy blinked. "Uh, yeah. I don't really talk with any of my old friends anymore, but Suki gave me her number."

" _She gave you her number_?!" It was getting _really_ hard for Zuko to not laugh.

"Is...is that a problem?" Sokka asked, worried. "I don't want her to not like me—"

"No—it's just, _normally_ , when a girl gives you her number—"

Sokka's face turned red. "Oh— _oh._ I, uh—she didn't mean it like that!"

"Sure," Zuko snickered. "Here. Now what?"

"We can just go," the barista muttered, face still flushed. He gestured to follow him, and then stomped towards a stone building. "I work here," he explained. "So does my sister. She invited Aang."

"Why were you _outside_?" Zuko asked skeptically.

"I was trying to get away from them," Sokka answered. "I guess I'm back now, though," he added with a groan.

Zuko laughed. "Hey, your sister isn't going to try to kill me, right?"

"I hope not," Sokka shuddered. "What's up with you two, anyway?"

The scarred boy pursed his lips. "Nothing. She—it's complicated."

Sokka raised an eyebrow, turning the handle.

Immediately, Katara greeted her brother with a cheerful, "Hey, Sokka!" She turned back to the boy seated next to her, who was even cheerier and had a lopsided grin on his face.

"And then? I met this girl, who I think I'm _related_ to! Her name was Ty Lee—"

"Ty Lee?!" Katara and Zuko cried unanimously.

Katara's head whipped around, finally looking past her brother. "What are _you_ doing here?!" she yelled, standing up.

Zuko stepped back. Sokka stood in front of him, raising a hand up. "Relax, Kat, he's a friend."

"A friend?!" Katara growled. "His family is the reason our mother is dead!"

Everyone froze.

" _What_?!" Sokka turned back, glaring at Zuko.

"It wasn't me!" Zuko argued. "Look, it's my _dad_ who's caused the series of car crashes!"

"Wait, car crashes?" Aang's eyes widened. "Did—did your dad kill _my_ dad?!"

"Not necessarily," Zuko answered, struggling to defend himself. "I don't live with my dad, okay? He's the mastermind—and I live with my uncle!"

"He's nice," Sokka chimed in. "Uncle Iroh."

"It's kind of weird if _you_ call him Uncle, you know," Zuko told Sokka.

"Iroh's a nice guy, Katara," the barista coaxed. "I'm sure Zuko's changed, right? It's not like you hang out with your sister or anything."

Zuko froze. "Uh...yeah. I don't."

"I don't believe him!" Katara started picking up her chair.

Sokka's eyes widened. "Katara, what the hell?!"

The door opened behind them. Sokka and Zuko turned around swiftly.

"Uh...is this a bad time?" the girl at the door asked.

"S-Suki?" Sokka stammered, stepping back.

"Suki!" Katara started walking towards her, shoving Zuko out of the way. "Tell him to get out!"

 _She's definitely intimidating_ , Zuko thought nervously, grabbing the table text to him so he wouldn't fall.

"What happened?" Suki asked, looking at the scarred boy cautiously.

"I d-didn't know you would be here," Sokka laughed nervously, running his fingers through his disheveled hair. " _Shit_ ," he whispered to himself, loud enough that Zuko could hear.

"Look, let's just calm down," the junior girl gripped her friend's shoulder. "And—talk, or something."

Katara's breaths got less heavy as Suki coaxed her. Zuko stumbled back, finally standing up.

"Okay," Katara exhaled.

"All right, what happened?" Suki let got of Katara, crossing her arms.

" _Maybe_ Katara shouldn't explain," Aang interjected sheepishly.

"Sokka, you explain," the auburn-haired girl suggested, not looking at the boy she was referring to.

"It would make more sense for Zuko to explain," Sokka raised an eyebrow towards the scarred boy.

Zuko bit his lip. "I—uh, my dad? And—he, er, was like the leader—he bossed them around and—car crashes."

"Your father was the leader of a group of people that were the cause of the car crash chain that's been going on for the past few years?" Suki raised an eyebrow.

"Yes," Zuko nodded tightly. "But I'm not associated with him! I live with Uncle Iroh. You know him, Suki!"

"Yeah," she looked at the ground. "He's okay. You're okay. Katara, stop—whatever you're doing. Zuko's not bad."

"Not bad," the scarred boy repeated, unsure. He shifted his weight on to his other foot.

Aang looked at him skeptically. "Are you sure? You don't look sure. You hang out with your sister, don't you? Wasn't her friend your ex-girlfriend?"

"Mai's not bad!" Zuko snapped. "Azula's just got her wrapped around her finger, that's all."

"You still Mai, don't you?" Katara grumbled, standing up straight.

"So what if I do?" Zuko retorted.

"Nothing," she huffed back. "Suki, why are you here?"

The auburn-hair girl's eyes flickered to Sokka for the smallest of moments—Zuko doubted that the brown-haired barista had seen. "I was just...passing by, and saw the commotion. That's all. I should probably leave now."

"Uh, me too," Zuko grinned nervously. "Bye, Sokka." He hurried towards the door.

"What were you doing with him?!" the scarred boy heard Katara ask her brother.

"What?! We were Pai Sho buddies!"

Zuko rolled his eyes, laughing internally at the absurdity, despite what had just happened. He started walking back to the tea shop, more unsure than ever.


	6. i'm fine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Katara begs Suki to come over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this ones so short!! and also sorry for the lack of kataang and maiko (especially the latter since theyre broken up) i swear there'll be more of both of those in later chapters
> 
> if suki seems ooc its because i wanted to explore insecurities that dont exist <3  
> look i needed her to have a conflict and shes too perfect and (sadly) minor to have problems
> 
> anyway thanks for the kudos and stuff!!! enjoy :)

_**Katara:** can you come over?_

Suki stared at her phone, reading the words. She fidgeted with the hem of her t-shirt, before finally responding.

_**Suki:** dont you have homework?_

She sighed, laying back, her head pressing against her pillow. A weary tiredness ran through her, one she hadn't fell—well, ever.

 _**Katara:** _ _i need help_

 **_Katara:_ ** _please_

 **_Katara:_ ** _sokkas at home_

Suki blushed at the mention of Katara's brother. She wasn't sure why—all they had done was arm wrestle, which had ended...interestingly, but _this_ shouldn't have been the reaction. The auburn-haired girl shouldn't have felt flips in her stomach when Sokka bumped into her at the Jasmine Dragon, or whenever she saw him pass through the hallways at school on Monday.

But she did. For whatever reason.

 _**Katara:** _ _are you coming or not??_

Suki bit her lip, her fingers poised to answer.

_**Suki:** fine_

_**Suki:** _ _but we're doing homework_

 **_Suki:_ ** _as in your homework_

As she crawled out of her bed and pulled a sweatshirt on, she added:

 **_Suki:_ ** _and im not coming for your sexist asf brother_

Satisfied, the junior pulled on a pair of socks and head out the door. Her parents were busy, as always, so she shot them a text and slipped her shoes on. She heard a _ping!_ from her phone.

 **_Katara:_ ** _whatever you say ;)_

A blush rose on Suki's cheeks. She grumbled, tugging the door open.

Sunlight hit the auburn-haired girl on the face almost immediately. She weaved her way around the broken sidewalk cracks and head towards the general direction of Katara's house and the café she worked at.

 _**Suki:** _ _youre at home right?_

As she waited for the text back, the junior kicked a small pebble, stuffing her free hand into her pocket.

_**Katara:** yes_

**_Katara:_ ** _also aangs here_

A smirk played on Suki's lips.

_**Suki:** i see_

After a few long moments, Katara responded.

 _**Katara:** _ _THAT DOESNT MEAN ANYTHNIG OKAY SDHFKJDKJDK_

 **_Katara:_ ** _*AYNTHIGN_

 ** _Katara:_** _*ANYTHIGN_

 _**Katara:** _ _YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN SUKI STFU_

Suki pressed her hand against her mouth, stifling a laugh.

 _**Suki:** _ _i didnt say anything_

Katara didn't respond after that.

* * *

Suki rapped on the door twice, fast. "Katara?"

The sophomore girl who had invited Suki opened the door, hands on her hips. "I swear to god, Suki—"

"I didn't do anything," the auburn-haired girl interrupted, rolling her eyes. She walked past her friend, into the living room. "So, where's your friend Aang?"

"Over here!" the boy piped from the small table located on one side of the small house.

Suki smiled, leaning against the couch. "Where's your grandma?"

"She's sleeping in my room," Katara explained. "I didn't want her to fall asleep on the couch again."

"That's sweet," Suki sat down. "So, what do you need help with?"

Katara paused. "Oh, well, uh, Aang's got it all covered, actually. He's _really_ smart."

"Ah," a smirk tugged on Suki's lips.

The barista blushed furiously. "I mean—I should go and do my homework now. Aang's just a friend. A sweet little guy! Anyway, uh—homework." She turned around swiftly.

"You don't want to end up in detention again."

"Says you," said a voice. Suki turned to see Sokka, walking into the room. "It's not like you didn't _also_ get in trouble."

"Yeah, because of you!" the auburn-haired girl retorted, standing up. " _You_ were the one hitti—"

"Don't remind me, please," Sokka held up his hand, face feigning pain. He strutted into the small kitchen. "Hey Kat, wanna look at my new piece of art?"

Katara rolled her eyes. "You can't draw if your life depended on it."

Sokka pouted, sticking his head out from the kitchen. "Hey! That's not fair!"

 _Cute_ , Suki smiled to herself.

_Wait, why am I thinking that?!_

"Should I leave, then?" the junior asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No, you can stay," Katara responded, sitting down. "You can just...hang out with Sokka or something."

"Wow, thanks," Suki deadpanned. "I'll just go, then."

"What, you don't like my company?" Sokka smirked.

"Sorry for not wanting to hang out with a sexist little bitch," Suki smirked back.

"Hey!" Sokka crossed his arms. "I'm a changed man."

"Man, huh?" Suki sniggered. "Sure."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sokka retorted, stepping towards the auburn-haired girl.

"Losing to me wasn't exactly _manly_ , according you your sickening standards, was it?"

"I said _sorry_ , didn't I?"

"No, you didn't!"

"Well, I'm sorry then!" he unfolded his arms. "Can you teach me instead of fighting me."

Suki took a step back. " _Teach_ you? Teach you what?"

"How to be stronger," Sokka gave her a lopsided grin.

Suki could feel her heart palpitate in her chest. "You're strong enough," she huffed. "I'm not that great. I just got lucky."

Sokka frowned. "That's not what you were saying a moment ago!"

"I wasn't saying _anything_ a moment ago. Nothing important, anyway."

"Look, Suki, we all know that's not true," Katara interjected. "You didn't get _lucky._ "

The auburn-haired junior rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I'm leaving—you're okay with your homework, right?"

"Yeah," the barista breathed. "But you don't have to go! You didn't have any—"

"It's fine," Suki waved her hand dismissively. "Thanks for having me over. I should go." She felt her chest tighten as she close the door behind her. She stood outside the house, taking in the cold air around her. Her nose and ears were red from the temperature; she rubbed her hands together and hugged herself.

"Hey."

Suki whipped her head around, finding Sokka behind her. She hadn't heard him come out. "Oh. Hi."

"I was being serious, you know," Sokka scratched the back of his neck. "About teaching me how to fight."

"You should find a better teacher," the girl sighed, turning around again.

"Wait!" the barista grabbed her elbow, causing both of their faces to turn red. "Look, Suki, I'm not sure if you noticed, but—you're the strongest person I've ever met."

Suki laughed. "Yeah, right."

"I'm being serious."

The auburn-haired girl shrugged Sokka off. "I wish people would stop putting me on a pedestal," Suki muttered. "I'm _not_ that great."

"But you are!" the boy threw his hands up in the air.

Suki exhaled slowly. "Fine. I'll teach you. You...you have my number, right?" she asked, a slight blush playing on her cheeks. She felt her stomach turn weirdly.

"Yes! And yeah, I saved it," Sokka added, only causing the other's blush to deepen.

"Okay. I'll text you my address. You can pick me up then...I have some places that we should go."

"Wait, you can't drive?"

"No, I can. We only have two cars, and my parents both work...nothing for me to drive."

"Oh. Okay—we'll just, uh, text each other, I guess."

Suki nodded. "Yeah. Well, I should go."

"Bye," Sokka raised his hand, smiling.

Suki smiled back. "Bye."

* * *

_**Katara:** _ _Sukiiiiiiiiii_

The junior rolled her eyes.

**_Suki:_ ** _what now??_

She picked up her book again, content on reading, until she was interrupted. Again.

**_Katara:_ ** _aang left..._

**_Katara:_ ** _can you help with my hw_

Suki rolled her eyes.

**_Suki:_ ** _how come you didnt get anything done??_

**_Suki:_ ** _show me the problems_

**_Suki:_ ** _or questions_

**_Suki:_ ** _or whatever they are_

She sighed.

**_Katara:_ ** _i did get stuff done!!_

**_Katara:_ ** _its math_

**_Katara:_ ** _geometry_

Suki furrowed her eyebrows, another sigh escaping.

_**Suki:** _ _isnt your brother good at that stuff_

**_Suki:_ ** _ask him_

**_Suki:_ ** _im busy_

She turned back to her book.

_**Katara:** fine_

**_Katara:_ ** _but youre telling me what happened between you two tomorrow at school_

The auburn-haired girl pursed her lips.

_**Suki:** _ _fine_

**_Suki:_ ** _now please shut up_

Now completely distracted, Suki decided that she should probably plan whatever she had set Sokka up to. Her chest felt mushy just thinking about him, but she carried on—he was just her friend's brother, who had asked for her help.

Which she had agreed to.

Suki wasn't sure why. She had been speaking the truth: in her eyes, she wasn't anything amazing. She could get better. Everyone could get better. Sure, she could kick anyone's ass, but that didn't make her exceptional, or overly special. She wasn't that amazing at anything.

Not as much as she wanted to be, anyway.


	7. feelings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azula heads over to Ty Lee's. To help her, obviously.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> azula is so amazing that she voiced herself

The door slammed shut.

Azula's face had been heating up for a few moments, and it took the sophomore even longer to calm down. Deciding her idiotic brother wouldn't be coming out, Azula whipped around and trudged out the door, still slightly bemused.

_What_ did _he mean?_ she thought, kicking a pebble across the sidewalk. _I'm only going because she wants help. What other reason could there be?_

_Well, it doesn't matter now._

_I should go._

_Yes._

_To Ty Lee's, then._

The amber-eyed girl hopped across the street. The path to her best friend's house was engraved in her mind; every turn and every corner. After all, the two of them and Mai had known each other since they were little—memories of countless sleepovers, teasing each other, running around—all memorized.

Azula's mind drifted off to when they were kids for a little longer—innocent kids, without the burden of knowing about the outside world bestowed upon them. She had been so _happy_ then, even if her mother had seemed to hate her, even if it was obvious she liked Zuko better, even if she had probably thought that Azula was a monster.

Azula stopped abruptly, shaking her thoughts off. She had to think about helping Ty Lee. The acrobat had called her over for a reason.

She skidded down the last few turns, smiling slightly when she reached Ty Lee's house—it wasn't too far from her huddy-duddy uncle's tea shop, thankfully. Azula walked up the stairs, a light hop in her step, and knocked on the door twice quickly.

It flung open, revealing a grinning Ty Lee. "Azula!" she greeted excitedly. She intertwined her fingers with the other's and pulled her into the house.

Azula could feel herself flushing, for whatever reason. "So, what did you need help with?" she asked, stumbling over her words slightly. She never stumbled over her words.

"Hm?" the brunette blinked, before processing the question. "Oh! Well...I thought we were just going to..."

"We were just going to what?"

Ty Lee sighed. "Never mind. I, um, needed some help on my homework."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "Is Mai going to come over?"

"Well, I _kind_ of told her?" the peppier girl rested her finger on her chin. "I—she left it on read."

Azula rolled her eyes. "Of course. Well, I will help you, then." She rested her hand on Ty Lee's shoulder, hoping it would signify something.

The gray-eyed girl squeaked slightly, a high-pitched noise. "Math," she blurted out.

"Excuse me?"

"I needed help with math."

Azula nodded slightly. Ty Lee grabbed her hand again (Azula could swear she felt herself shiver, a weird but surprisingly pleasant tingle running up her spine) and led her upstairs, to the small and cluttered desk located in her room. She shoved a stack of papers one way and pulled a pencil out.

"Geometry," she mumbled, pushing the paper towards her friend slightly. "I'm stuck on this one problem—"

"And you called me all the way here for it?" the black-haired girl interrupted, raising an eyebrow.

Ty Lee sighed. "Well—I dunno, I thought we were just going to...you know. Do stuff."

"Descriptive, Ty Lee," Azula responded, sarcasm dripping off of her voice. "Do you need help or not?"

"Yes," the brunette nodded.

Azula leaned over, eyeing the paper carefully. Ty Lee had only been on question seven—and it wasn't even that hard. She sighed, "Honestly, Ty Lee...come on, then, give me some paper to write on."

Ty Lee smiled softly, making something in Azula's chest flip. She didn't know why it was happening, but the black-haired girl decided to push it to the back of her mind—instead, she declared it unimportant and snatched the paper out of her friend's hands.

"Now...first you should—" Azula paused for a second. It was strange, being so _calm_ , and actually _helping_ someone. "—you should...er, you should draw the square," Azula stuttered, her mind freezing.

A loud sound came from downstairs—it sounded like a doorbell ringing, but slightly distorted.

"Maybe that's Mai!" Ty Lee gasped, running out of her room and down the stairs.

Azula sighed. What was she _doing_?

The acrobat came back up a few minutes later, accompanied by none other than Mai. The stoic girl had her usual drab, unfeeling expression—or _lack of_ , really—on her face.

"Hey," Mai greeted shortly. A book was in her hand. She slumped on to Ty Lee's bed and started reading.

Azula, who had found herself sitting on the chair in front of Ty Lee's desk, moved her focus back on to the paper. "So, then—"

"Wait," the brown-haired girl interrupted, locking her eyes with Azula for a split second. She turned her attention back on to Mai. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" Mai drawled.

"You. And Zuko."

"Not really," the junior shrugged, but Azula had seen an angry, saddening flicker in her eye.

Ty Lee pursed her lips. "Okay, then. Are you sure?"

" _Yes_ , Ty Lee, I'm sure."

"Do you want help or not?" Azula snapped, glaring at the acrobat.

"Azula, it's fine," Ty Lee retorted. "We should help Mai."

"I don't need help," Mai interjected, unenthusiastic as always. She flipped on to the next page in her book.

Azula crossed her arms, turning around in the chair. "Really?"

"See!" Ty Lee threw her hands out. "Even 'Zula can tell something's wrong! And she's _always_ right!"

Azula found herself blushing slightly at the offhand compliment. "Yes, well—her—it's just obvious. Anyone can see it."

Mai groaned. "Can you guys just leave me alone? Nothing's happening!"

"We were there when you two fought!" Azula shot back, now fully in the argument.

Ty Lee chimed in, "We saw it happen! And now you two are broken up." She furrowed her eyebrows, arms crossed like Azula's.

" _Again_ ," Azula muttered.

"Yeah, well," Mai huffed, turning her head away, "it sucks."

"That was helpful," Azula deadpanned. She tapped the pencil against the desk. "Ty Lee, if you didn't want my help, why did you ask me to come?"

Ty Lee bit her lip. "I told you...I just wanted to talk to you. We haven't really gotten a chance to...just _hang out_ in a while."

Azula sighed. "You could've just said that when you called me over," she mumbled.

"You wouldn't have come," Ty Lee answered quietly; Azula could barely hear her.

The black-haired sophomore wanted to argue. She wanted to tell Ty Lee that she would've come, no matter the reason.

But _would_ she have come?

Mai tilted her head back, looking up at the ceiling. "That's it. We broke up."

"Don't you want to get back together?" Ty Lee asked.

"...I don't care."

A sly grin spread on the brunette's face. "It doesn't _seem_ that way." She walked closer to Mai. "'Zula can come up with a plan, and—"

"Who said anything about me?" Azula interrupted. "I'm not doing anything."

" _Please_?" Ty Lee pouted, her eyes looking bigger somehow.

Azula could _feel_ her face getting warmer. "Fine," she muttered. "But only if Mai agrees."

"I don't," Mai chimed in, her voice dead (as always).

Ty Lee sighed. " _Fine_ ," she frowned.

Mai went back to reading her book.

"Well," Azula looked back at the math paper. "Th—"

"Azula," the acrobat hissed, tugging on her friend's arm slightly. She rolled a shoulder backward, gesturing to the hallway outside her bedroom door.

The black-haired sophomore raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything, deciding instead to follow Ty Lee when she darted out of the aforementioned door.

"What is it?" Azula asked in a low voice once they were in the hallway.

"You're really good at making plans, right?" Tu Lee smiled.

"I," Azula paused—she wasn't _amazing_ at making plans, but definitely better than Ty Lee. "Let me guess. You want them to get back together anyway, even though Mai doesn't want you to."

"Yes! And she _does_ want to get back with Zuko—you can just see it on her face! Plus, they're so cute together!"

"Sure," Azula responded skeptically. She didn't know _what_ Mai saw in her brother, but both of them at least smiled a little bit when they were together.

"So, what are we going to do?" the acrobat grinned.

Azula thought for a second—what _were_ they going to do? Her normally whirring mind felt dull—she was lightheaded, almost. The warm air in Ty Lee's house—around Ty Lee herself—was making Azula's thoughts slightly foggy.

"What if—"

"Ooh!" the brown-haired girl interrupted, slightly distracted. "What if we do the classic 'stuck in a room together'?!" she suggested excitedly.

Azula narrowed her eyes. "But would that _work_?" She decided to ignore the fact that Ty Lee had just _interrupted_ her. It wasn't that important...and it felt wrong to yell at her friend when she was being so passionate.

"They wouldn't exactly have a choice," the Ty Lee girl shrugged. "I mean, they can't just avoid each other forever, right?"

The amber-eyed sophomore sighed. "Zuzu seems...desperate," she explained, struggling slightly with her words.

"Really? That's good!"

"Not exactly _desperate_. He doesn't mind Mai. But it's so _obvious_ he wants to make up with her."

"This is progress," Ty Lee squealed, a hint of determination in her voice. She placed her hand on Azula's shoulder, smiling, and caused a tingle feeling to shoot up from there.

"W-we should go back to your room," Azula coughed into her fist, trying to hide the shakiness of her voice. "We don't want Mai to get suspicious."

"Get suspicious of _what_?" an insipid voice asked.

It was Mai.


	8. my life is a nightmare but you're not that bad

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai remembers the past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello i am single and i would like to stay that way
> 
> this chapter doesnt make sense does it

"Get suspicious of _what_?"

Azula and Ty Lee's eyes widened unanimously. "N-nothing," the latter stuttered, grinning nervously. "We were just...uh, my mom! She. Would get suspicious. Of something."

"Ty Lee," Azula hissed through her teeth. "Your mother would never be suspicious. There's too many replicas of you for her to notice."

"Hey!" the brunette pouted, crossing her arms. "That's not true!"

"My father," Azula rolled her eyes. "And my brother. Although he probably only cares about his honor."

"What—what do you mean?" Mai asked, a touch of protectiveness in her voice.

"Oh, well," Azula laughed, "ever since he was sent to live with our shitty excuse of an uncle—"

"Your uncle isn't that bad," Ty Lee mumbled.

"—he can only think about father accepting him again. As if that would ever happen."

Mai sighed. "Whatever," she muttered, pushing past both sophomores. "I'm going home," she said, book tucked under her arm.

"Bye!" Ty Lee called cheerfully.

Mai rolled her eyes at the amount of joyfulness in her friend's voice as she tread down the stairs. Mai and Ty Lee were completely opposites. Ty Lee thought everything was exciting. Mai found everything to be boring. Ty Lee was grinning all the time. Mai cracked a smile occasionally.

Mostly when Zuko was there.

* * *

Mai didn't talk much.

Her mother always told her that she could only speak when spoken to, and to keep out of trouble; they had her father's political career to think about, after all.

She had been a rich only child for thirteen years, who got anything she wanted as long as she didn't say anything. As long as she didn't express herself.

It was hard to care about things.

Mai cared about her three-year-old brother, though. Tom-Tom was sweet and innocent.

 _He_ actually listened.

Mai lay on her bed, moonlight streaming through the window in her room. Her state was blank and distant. She was thinking, thinking about her friendships, thinking about her connections, thinking about what went wrong.

She had met Ty Lee first, at the Academy for Girls, only for the most prestigious of families. Ty Lee had taken one look at her and had decided that they had to be friends.

"Why?" Mai had asked.

"Because," the brown-haired girl had shrugged. 

"Whatever," Mai had muttered. Her new "friend" seemed really annoying, but so _passionate_ at the same time. Sure, Ty Lee was a year younger than her, but at least his year, Mai wouldn't have to drag through the school year friendless. Mai was fine with that, of course—she had been taught to act like a lady, and Ty Lee didn't seem like that kind of person—but having a friend felt...good.

Sometime next week, Ty Lee had dragged over someone else she had met—bossy little Azula.

"She's my new friend," the acrobat had declared proudly. "So she's your friend too."

"Okay," Mai had responded, not really paying attention.

Azula had promptly sat at the end of the table, smirking.

A few days later, Ty Lee and Azula had to work on some project together for their grade. All Ty Lee could talk about was how amazing Azula's house was.

 _"Did you know she's the daughter of Ozai?!" the acrobat asked excitedly. The question surprised Mai—she, in fact, had_ not _known that._

_"Yes, yes," Azula waved it off smugly._

_"Oh, Mai!" Ty Lee grinned. "You should meet her brother! He's the same age as you."_

_"Oh?" Mai blinked. "I mean—sure."_

_Azula raised an eyebrow. "You want to meet Zuko?"_

_"I guess."_

_The other black-haired girl smirked. "Why not?"_

A small smile fell on Mai's lips. That day had been fun—she had _also_ blushed _way_ too much.

 _"Mai!" Ty Lee snickered, "You like_ Zuko _?!" Her and Azula fell on the ground, laughing._

_"Shut up!" Mai retorted, hands in fists._

_Azula lifted her head up, a stupid little smirk on her face. "I didn't think_ anyone _could take a liking to my brother," she teased._

_Mai huffed indignantly, turning away._

Zuko had been filled to the brim with pride. He had been confident—but not as confident as Azula, who was a prodigy at pretty much everything. Zuko had struggled with his studies, which made his father...not exactly fond of him. Zuko still _tried_ , though, and the black-haired junior would be lying if she said that she hadn't found that admiring.

Mai sighed, thinking about her ex-boyfriend. His long-ish hair, his warm amber eyes, and how _dumb_ he was. She _also_ remembered how Ty lee and Azula had made them crash into each other and fall into a fountain, Zuko splayed on top of Mai. The blush on Mai's cheeks had never been brighter.

"You guys are so—ugh!" she had cried, huffing and walking away. Zuko had done something similar—running to his mother and calling girls crazy.

She frowned a little, remembering how much Zuko had cried when his mother had left. How Azula had scoffed, saying that she didn't care.

She frowned more, remembering seeing Zuko with a scar for the first time, tears in his eyes, seeing Azula roll her eyes and saying that it was _his_ fault that he had the stupid scar.

She sat up, remembering him moving to his uncle's, his father losing custody of him. Azula didn't really care.

Mai bit her lip, tugging her t-shirt down. Zuko had been acting weird of the late—talking about his honor every five seconds. Was it _her_ fault? Why couldn't she comfort Zuko? Why was it so hard for her to be liked?

It wasn't her fault she was so distant. Her mom hadn't allowed herself to express herself—hadn't allowed her to like things. Mai hated almost everything.

She didn't hate Tom-Tom.

She didn't hate Ty Lee—hell, she didn't even hate Azula, as mean-spirited as the amber-eyed sophomore was.

And she definitely didn't hate Zuko.

* * *

"Mai!"

Her eyes widened slightly. Mai stepped away from her ex, pursing her lips. "Zuko."

He froze, but then started fidgeting. "So, uh, how was your day?"

Mai sighed. "Can we just get this over with? What do you want?"

"Me?" the scarred boy laughed nervously. "Nothing."

"Are you going to buy flowers for someone?" Mai raised an eyebrow.

The gloomy junior worked at the flower shop owned by her aunt. Which Zuko _knew_ about.

"Yeah, I—well, no, I just...wanted to see you."

"Then why are you so surprised to achieve your goal?" Mai deadpanned.

He scratched the back of his neck. "Mai, I really miss you," he blurted out.

"Nice to know," she picked at her fingernails, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"And I—want us to—you know...get back together."

"Zuko, I don't have time for this," Mai sighed. This wasn't the _first_ time this had happened—at this point Mai knew how it would end. Sure, they _said_ that they were broken up, but it was more like...they were taking a break from each other. A much needed break.

"Don't you miss me?!" Zuko responded, his voice angry. As always.

Mai crossed her arms, not replying.

A boy walked up to Zuko—Mai recognized him from a few of her classes, but she never bothered to learn his name. "So, where's your girlfriend?" he asked, placing an elbow on Zuko's shoulder.

A blush spread on Zuko's and Mai's cheeks. The latter turned away to tend to the flowers behind her quickly.

"Sokka!" Zuko hissed. "She's literally—she's right there!"

" _Her_?!" Sokka—yeah, that was his name—suppressed a snicker. "You liked _Mai_?! The _gloomy_ girl who sighs a lot?!"

Although impressed that he remembered her name, Mai retorted, "I can hear you, you know." From the corner of her eye, she saw Zuko elbow his...friend?

"So, as I was saying," the scarred boy grinned nervously. "I, uh, really, really miss spending time with you, and you always—"

"I'm still mad at you," Mai crossed her arms, turning around swiftly. "You're having too many outbursts at things you shouldn't get outbursts for. Seriously, Zuko, you have to...not get mad all the time."

He paused for a moment. "So...does that mean we're—"

Mai grabbed his hand, shutting him up. "You sound _way_ too desperate." She rolled her eyes and walked away.

"I think that means something!" Sokka whispered, loud enough for Mai to hear.

"Sokka, _please_ shut up," Zuko groaned, "before I embarrass myself because of you. Again."

* * *

Mai flung a knife towards her door.

She didn't even need to look; she knew she hit her spot perfectly. She'd been practicing for years, ever since she'd been gifted them. Mai's set of knives were her prized possession.

The junior sighed, pulling the knife out. She had plenty more, but they were stashed away for when she really needed them (which, as of now, wasn't for a while). Her parents didn't exactly... _approve_ of her knives. Mai always felt like they didn't care about _anything—_ and they definitely didn't allow her to care about anything. They were overjoyed when they heard that Azula—daughter of _Ozai_ —had chosen _Mai_ to be friends with. Not because Mai had a friend—they didn't particularity care about Ty Lee—but because she was friends with someone important.

Mai much preferred her Aunt Mura, who owned the flower shop she worked at, and her uncle, who had gifted Mai her precious knives.

She hurled the knife back into the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay okay i know this isnt how stuff works but they break up like three more times and this one wasnt supposed to be that long so
> 
> also?? i couldnt find anything explaining how mai got her knives so uh this is how in this fic


	9. my aura feels a little brighter today (and maybe it's because of you)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ty Lee meets someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> what's updating 
> 
> short chapter short chapter short chapter
> 
> watch tlok or else

She'd bumped into him after last period. Ty Lee had seen him before; he was kind of hard to miss with his bald head and wide grin.

"Sorry!" the acrobat muttered, weaving her way around him. She caught a closer glimpse of him, and saw that looked familiar. _Very_ familiar. Before he could get too far, she grabbed his arm and blurted out, "Do I know you?"

The boy blinked. "Um, no?"

Ty Lee leaned in, honing in on his eyes. "Are you—maybe you're related to me?"

The boy stepped back nervously, an awkward laugh coming out of him. _Personal space, Ty Lee,_ the brunette scolded herself silently. "My family...well, everyone—they're all gone."

"Gone?" Ty Lee tilted her head curiously.

The boy swallowed slowly. "Yeah. The car crashes, I think that might be why."

"Oh." Ty Lee crossed her arms, tempted to tell him that _she_ was part of the self-named Fire Nation, but an unsettling feeling stopped her. Did she _want_ to be a part of it?

"You do look...kinda similar to me," the boy rested his hand on his chin thoughtfully. "What if we're distant cousins?" His voice sounded excited—the acrobat noted that his aura was a bright blue.

Ty Lee smiled widely. "That would be so cool!"

"I'm Aang, by the way," the boy stuck his hand out, which the acrobat took gratefully.

"Ty Lee," she responded.

"I was a nomad before I moved here," Aang explained.

"A nomad?"

Suddenly looking self-conscious, Aang pursed his lips. "I know that might be weird, but—"

"No, no, that's so cool!" the brunette grinned. Her face fell with realization suddenly. "Oh."

Aang nodded solemnly, understand the gist of her, "Oh." He hugged himself, whispering, "My entire culture is gone. I'm the only one left." His aura turned into a sad gray-blue.

"You guys were big fliers, huh?" Ty Lee gestured towards the door—school was over, after all.

"Oh, yeah," Aang gave her a lopsided smile, following her. "I could show you some tricks."

"I'm an acrobat," Ty Lee explained, walking beside him. "Very...flow-y in the air."

Aang laughed. "I think I get what you mean."

"Wait," Ty Lee stopped mid-stride. "If you're the last one...what are your living conditions?"

Aang scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "I'm living with a, uh...friend. She's super nice and all, but it's...not the best."

"Oh." The brunette pursed her lips. "You wanna live with me?" she offered.

Aang's eyes widened. "I—well, I don't want to bother you!"

Ty Lee shrugged. "Wait, I have a load of sisters. You're not fog to mix me up or anything, right?"

"Um," the ex-nomad looked away. "I'm fine where I am now. But thank you for the offer." He pressed his hands together and bowed, an action the acrobat returned.

* * *

"Whatever," the brooding senior pushed past Azula and Ty Lee. "I'm going home," she muttered.

"Bye!" Ty Lee smiled. Azula jabbed her in the ribs. "Hey, what was that for?!"

"Your room," she explained. "Now."

Ty Lee nodded seriously, following her friend into her room. Her shoulder brushed the other's, causing Azula to squeak. Ty Lee would've laughed if: a.) it wasn't _Azula_ who had squeaked, and b.) she hadn't been about to squeak, too.

"So?" Ty Lee collapsed in to her bed, patting the spot next to her.

Azula gingerly sat by her side, not being able to look her in the eye. "Are we still going to try to get them together?"

"Hmm," the brunette considered it. "I have a feeling that she'll be fine," she smiled.

"How can you just _know_?" Azula snapped. Ty Lee shrugged, which prompted her friend to groan, "I don't think I can handle Zuzu's complaining anymore."

The acrobat snickered. "If not, I guess we'll have to."

"Well, there's no point in making a plan if it might not happen," Azula rested her head on the pillow next to Ty Lee's. The acrobat could feel her heart hammering suddenly in her chest—her amber-eyed friend was only a few inches away from her, albeit looking up, which had caused a skip in Ty Lee's heartbeat. Azula sighed. "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

"Y-yeah," Ty Lee nodded vigorously. Azula turned a little to face the brunette. A blush dusted her face.

"Uh," Azula shot up. "If you're done with...your homework..." she struggled.

"Oh, yeah," Ty Lee gulped. "I'm fine."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"I'm going to leave now," Azula said, her voice unusually high. Her aura was dark red, as usual, but there was something lighter in it. It was a little... _pinker_.

"Oka—bye," Ty Lee interrupted herself, not wanting to say "okay" again.

The black-haired girl nodded curtly, and then climbed out of the bed. She left with a tired wave.

* * *

"Ty Lee!"

Said girl whirled around at the sound of the voice. She found a huffing boy behind her, who she recognized as Aang.

"Oh, hey, Aang," Ty Lee smiled. "...are you okay?"

"Yeah," the boy nodded, still out of breath. "I just ran here, that's all. So, um, about your offer," Aang fiddled with his fingers. "Do you know Katara?"

The brunette paused for a moment, trying to remember who Aang was talking about. She had always remembered faces better than names—each little detail on the shape of someone's head. It had come from having six other identical sisters—or, as she saw it, _almost_ identical. She'd noticed that the slope of Ty Lao's nose was a little longer than the other sisters, that Ty Lin's ears were a tiny bit bigger, that Ty Woo had hair a few centimeters shorter, coupled with the nick in her ear. The acrobat _had_ to do it—if she didn't she would probably still confuse her sisters up, like their parents did.

She considered this, and then asked, "Do you have a photo of her?"

Aang flushed at the question. His aura turned a little pinker. "Um, yeah," he nodded a little, pulling out his phone. Ty Lee noticed his lock screen immediately, a small smirk on her lips.

" _That_ Katara?" there was a full-out grin on the brunette's face now. "She's pretty, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Aang's blush turned even darker. "Anyway, you know her?"

"I've seen her sometimes," Ty Lee's gaze darted away. Azula had pestered her multiple times before, but Aang didn't need to know that.

"I'm living with her right now," Aang looked down at his phone for a second, before pushing it back into his pocket. "But she...well, as I said before, not the best conditions. Maybe you guys could talk? It'd feel a little weird otherwise," he explained.

The brunette shrugged. "Sure!"


End file.
